Method of drawing wire of one sectional form into wire of another sectional form



(No Model.)

W. TAYLOR.

METHOD OF DRAWING WIRE OF ONE SEOTIONAL FORM INTO WIEE 0E ANOTHERSEGTIONAL FORM.

No. 404,319. r Patented May 28, 1889.

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UNITED STATES ATENT O FIC IVILLIAM TAYLOR, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.-

METHOD OF DRAWING WIRE OF ONE SECTIONAL FORM INTO WIRE OF ANOTHERSECTIONAL FORM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,319, dated May 28,1889.

Application filed May 26, 1888. Serial No. 27 5,202. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Method of ConvertingWVire of One Form in Cross-Section into a l/Vire of Another Form, ofwhich the following is a specification.

I accomplish this by so treating the wire in its initial form that apart only of its surface shall at each of several successive stages beaffected, the rest of said surface at each of said stages of treatmentcontinuing in the same form that it was at one or more of the earlierstages; and I continue this gradual changing until the whole of thesurface has been transformed, or until so much of it has been affectedas to bring the wire into the de-' sired shape.

It will be understood that when I herein mention wire I mean to beunderstood as referring to the long and continuously drawn filiments ofmetal ordinarily described in the arts as wire, in contradistinotion tocomparatively shorter sections or pieces of metal produced by variousother processes.

I am aware of the fact that metal has been drawn into wires of variousforms and that such wires have been drawn and redrawn for the purpose ofand in such way as to accomplish the reducing of the wire, they in eachcase, after the process of thus reducing them has been completed, beingof a cross-section similar in outline to that of the initial wire; butin every instance within my knowledge the process of drawing the wirehas been so carried on and the devices with which the process has beeneffected have been of such nature that at each of the successive stagesof drawing the whole surface of the wire has been attackedby the wallsof the apertures in the draw-plates, said apertures throughout the wholeseries through which the wire is passed and repassed in the earlierprocesses being all similar to each other geometrically, differingmerely in size in cross-section. By reason of this fact-namely, thatheretofore the draw-plates for wires have always been provided witha-perturessimilarto each otherit has been impossible to produce wires ofa number of non-circular forms which have been desired in the arts,especially wires of a small gage. WVhen attempts have been made toproduce some of the said desired forms, it has been found that thefriction and resistance experienced in using the older drawplates havebeen so great as to practically ruin the wire or to destroy thedraw-plates.

In order that the character of my invention may be fully understood,Iwill herein call attention to well-known facts.

The wire which is employed by me and by others following similar arts isproduced in the first instance by a process of rolling or drawingthrough rolls, it being ordinarily round in section. It is practicallyimpossible to carry the reducing of the size of the wire belowacertaingage by this rolling process, the size ordinarily producedapproximating'what is known as No. 6 in gage. It is this round wire ofabout this gage which is ordinarily employed in producing, by drawing,the wires of the smaller gages required in the arts for variouspurposes. I am not aware of the fact that prior to my invention a wireof this character or of other shape in section has been initially usedand from it produced a wire differing radically in shape in section.

To illustrate this improved method, I hereinbelow describe in detail themanner of converting a wire round in cross-section into one oftriangular form, and in the drawings have shown the devices used. Insuch a case I employ a draw-plate with a series of apertures thatgradually change in series from a complete circle to a completetriangle. A round wire or rod is drawn, when necessary, through one ormore circular apertures, in order to bring it to the required gage, andthen it is passed through the others of the series in sequence, thewalls of the latter being so arranged that the surface of the wire ismore and more attacked as the process continues, portions of saidsurfaces at each stage prior to the last being left in the condition inwhich they were at one or more of the previous stages.

Figure 1 represents a round metallic wire or rod suitable for beingdrawn into wire; Fig. 2, a perspective view of a draw-plate providedwith a series of holes shaped to reduce a round metal rod to atriangular form; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of saiddraw-plate. Fig;

to deprive it of any undue roughness or un- V evenness preparatory toits subsequent passage through the next hole of the series. This roundor circular aperture 0, or several of them, may be and generally areused also for reducing the gage of the wire before commencing to alterits form. The second hole, (1, is different from that of the first inhaving three equidistant and equal portions of its circumference boundedby three straight lines arranged at an angle of sixty degrees to eachother, the intervening portions of its circumference retaining acurvilinear form corresponding to the sides of the first hole. The rod Bon passing through this second hole, (1, assumes its shape by beingelongated and depressed to the extent of having three equidistantportions flattened, each equaling in breadth one-sixth of thecircumference of the rod. After its passage through the second hole, cl,the rod is drawn through the third hole, 6, of the series, which issimilar in shape to that of the second hole, but diifers therefrom inthat its curvilinear faces or sides are narrowed and its straight onesproportionally broadened. The rod on passing through this third hole, c,has its form brought to a shape corresponding thereto. The rod is nextto be passed through the fourth hole, f, which is shaped to furtherincrease the width of its flat sides and lessen its curved portions. Therod is subsequently passed through the fifth hole, g, whereby it isgiven the shape of a triangle having rounded corners. Lastly andfinally, the rod is passed through the sixth hole, h, having the shapeof an equilateral triangle, and by which the wire it is ultimatelybrought to that form or given three plain sides, t'j k, which meet inthree parallel lines or angles the corners or edges of which will eachtouch at equidistant points the original circle of the first hole, 0,when placed therein.

Among the several matters that will be noticed in connection with thefacts above set forth are the following: The entire surface is notattacked at any of the stages of transformation. Gradually-increasingportions only of it are affected, the wire thus being brought step bystep from one shape to the other. The fibers are allowed fullopportunity to adapt themselves to the slightly-differing positions intowhich they are forced without there being any danger of either impairingthem or more or less nearly destroying them and producing a crystallinestructure of the metal.

It is well known that if fibrous metal of this character is tooviolently attacked a change of molecular structure results, and in thecase of wire of this sort repeated annealing becomes necessary becauseof such more or less violent treatment. In following the process hereinset forth I avoid these objections entirely, and the wire can be carrieddirectly through the whole series of steps and then be immediatelyemployed for the use to which it is to be put after being brought to thedeslred form. Again, it will be seen that when the process is completedof converting a c rcular wire into a triangular one the surface 1ssubstantially the same as at the beginning. The width of each side ofthe wire is equal to the diameter of the initial round wire, andtherefore the widths of the three sides are together substantially thesame as the original circumference. It is well known that it. isdesirable to preserve as intact as possible that surfacetexture which isproduced in rolling or drawing wire and generally spoken of as the'sk1n,this being the portion which imparts the desirable toughness andstrength to the metal. By my process the advantages ofthis part of thewire are preserved, notwithstanding the changes in form to which it issubjected.

The length of the wire or rod is an immaterial matter if it be longenough to be subj ected to the several steps involved in this method.

The wire or metal which I thus produce can be used in any of the severalarts, it being applicable to any uses, so far as I have yet learned, towhich can be put round wire of a trans verse diameter equal to the widthof one of the sides of mine. For instance, I have found it especiallyvaluc ble in the art of manufacturing wire nails. The nails produced aremuch cheaper than the round nails of the same gage, inasmuch as in theprocess of converting the round wire into the triangular I increase thelength to a considerable extent.

This increasing of the length is not due to a forcing outward of themetal, but to drawing it away from each part of the wire longitudinally,the original surface portion or skin being preserved.

I do not limit my invention specifically to the converting of wire whichis circular in section to one which is triangular in section, for itwill be seen that there will be no departure from the spirit of myinvention if mate rials of other initial sectional form are by thismethod converted into materials of sectional form other than triangular,if the initial material be subjected to a series of actions, at each ofwhich a portion only of the surface is forced away from its previousform, and it will be caused to assume the desired sectional form at thelast action of the series, it having been subjected during one or moreactions preceding the said last one to an action by which only a portionof the surface is affected, the residue of the surface being therebyunaffected; nor do I limit myself in thus gradually forcing the surfaceaway from its initial form to the use of the draw-plates.

By the means and in the manner described the rod B is elongated anddrawn from a round shape to that of an equilateral triangular wire, 42,without unnecessary friction, consequent resistance, or danger ofcrystallizing the metal, the resultant product being a tough smooth wirehaving a new and useful form, and especially adapted to the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

Having thus briefly described my invention, I claim 1. Theherein-described method of converting wire, or its equivalent, of onesectional form into a wire, or its equivalent, of another sectionalform, it consisting in subjecting it to a series of two or more drawingactions, at each of which a portion of the surface is forced away fromits previous form, the material assuming the desired sectional form atthe last action of the series, and being subjected during one or moredrawing actions preceding the said last one to a drawing action by whicha portion only of the surface is forced away from its previous form,the'residue of the surface being thereby unaffected, substantially asset forth.

2. The herein-described method of convert ing wire of one sectional forminto wire of another sectional form, it consisting in subjecting it to aseries of drawing actions, at each of which a portion of the surface ofthe wire is forced away from its previous form, the residue of thesurface remaining unaffected, and the extent of the surface acted onincreasing with each successive action, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described method of converting wire of one sectional forminto wire of another sectional form, it consisting in subjecting it to aseries of drawing actions, at each of which only a portion of thesurface is affected by the walls of the draw-plate, the

residue of the surface remaining substantially unaffected, and at thelast of which actions the extent of surface affected by the walls of thedraw-plate is greater than that affected at any previous action,substantially as described.

4. The herein-described method of manufacturing wire triangular insection, it consisting in subjecting wire initially circular in sectionto a series of several drawing actions, at each of which three separateportions. of the surface of the wire are pressed relatively inward,three intermediate portions of said surface being allowed to remain withthe curvature they had prior to said action, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein-described method of manufacturing wire triangular insection, it consisting in subjecting wire initially circular insectionto a series of several drawing actions, at each of which three separatedportlons of the surface are pressed relatively inward, and

at each of which actions after the first the eX- tent of theinward-pressed surface gradually increases relatively to the preceding,substantially as set forth.

6. The herein-described method of manufacturing wire of one gage andtriangular in section, it consisting in subjecting wire initiallycircular in section and of a larger gage to a series of drawing actions,during the first one or more of which the wire remains round in section,but is reduced to the gage of the desired triangular wire, and duringone or more of the remainder of which actions separated portions only ofthe surface are pressed relatively inward, the wire being therebygradually brought to a triangular sectional form, substantially as setforth.

WVILLIAM TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

JOSIAH W. ELLs, THos. L. A. NUTTRIDGE.

